


Tell You Who You're Not

by Crowgirl



Series: Scars Remind Us [53]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Dean Cuts Through the Problem, Guilt, M/M, Sam Has Difficulties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-25
Updated: 2012-09-25
Packaged: 2017-11-15 01:31:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/521670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowgirl/pseuds/Crowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ongoing discussion, and ramifications thereof, between Dean and Castiel about the after-effects of Hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell You Who You're Not

LIII.

‘Hell, _no.’_

‘Funny you should say that, Sammy--’

‘Don’t.’ Dean stops. His brother’s staring out the motel window as though there’s something truly fascinating in the parking lot and Dean can see the muscle jumping in Sam’s jaw.

Across the room, Bobby is silent, twisting his baseball cap between his hands and staring at it as though, if he can only get the fabric twisted just right, it will tell him what they should do next. Dean thinks he’s either bored to tears or about to read them all the riot act.

‘If Dean will follow my instructions this time--’ Castiel starts.

‘I followed your instructions last time,’ Dean points out, perfectly sure that no-one’s listening to him since Cas is glaring at Sam and Sam is glaring out the window. 

‘Jesus, Cas, weren’t you paying attention!’ Sam shoots to his feet and starts pacing. ‘We damn near --’ He bites off whatever he’d been about to say next and jerks a hand through the air. ‘No. No. No, I’m not doin’ that again. I’m not -- no.’

‘Then I will have to do it without you,’ Castiel returns evenly.

Dean drops his head in his hands, digging his fingers into the base of his skull. He can hear Sam and Castiel keep going over the same ground he knows for a fact they’ve spent the last two hours covering four times. ‘Both of you, shut the hell up.’

 _‘--my brother_ and--’ Sam’s voice is strident and Dean doesn’t think he hears.

‘Sammy!’ Dean slams his hand down on the table and Sam jerks back, blinking at him. ‘I get it, okay? But what the hell else do you want me to do?’

Sam stares at him for a long minute and Dean prays that he won’t tear up because if Sam starts to cry it is all fucking over. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Bobby turn to look at them, the older man’s face set and serious.

Sam swallows hard once or twice, then, quietly, says, ‘Anything, Dean. I want you to do... _anything_ else.’

Castiel is silent but Dean can feel his attention. He has to look away, stare out the window himself for a minute so he doesn’t have to look at Sam or at Cas or at Bobby or at anyone else who might have suddenly dropped into the room and be stupid enough to give a damn what happens to Dean Winchester.

He grits his teeth, swallows hard, and gets up. He walks over to Sam and, before Sam can say anything else or do something to stop him, pulls the silver flask from his brother’s jeans pocket. 

It’s not hard to guess where Sam keeps it at any given moment: always close, always where he can feel it, always where he _could_ get at it -- and choose not to.

Dean holds the flask up so Sam can see it, then turns and tosses it to Bobby who catches it a little awkwardly. 

Turning back to Sam, he gives his best _I’m the big brother and you’re gonna do what the fuck I say glare_ and says, ‘Now you don’t have to worry about it. It’s all you, Sammy.’ 

Sam’s frozen to the spot, staring at him like Dean’s just started speaking Aramaic.

But Dean means what he says like he hasn’t meant it since they were kids. ‘I trust you.’ He gives Sam a light whack on the shoulder and Sam rocks back slightly, dark eyes wide. ‘You won’t let ‘em get me.’

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "It's the Only One You've Got," 3 Doors Down, _3 Doors Down_.


End file.
